Slingshots depend on strong elastic materials, typically vulcanized natural rubb

er or the equivalent, and thus date back no further than the invention of vulcan
ized rubber by Charles Goodyear in 1839 (patented in 1844). By 1860, this "new e
ngine" had already established a reputation for juvenile use in vandalism. For m
uch of their early history, slingshots were a "do it yourself" item, typically m
ade from a forked branch to form the "Y" shaped handle, with rubber strips slice
d from items as inner tubes or other sources of good vulcanized rubber and firin
g suitably sized stones.
While early slingshots were most associated with young vandals, they were also c
apable hunting arms in the hands of a skilled user. Firing projectiles, such as
lead musket balls, buckshot, steel ball bearings, air gun pellets, or small nail
s, slingshot was capable of taking game such as quail, pheasant, rabbit, dove, a
nd squirrel. Placing multiple balls in the pouch produces a shotgun effect, such
as firing a dozen BBs at a time for hunting small birds. With the addition of a
suitable rest, the slingshot can also be used to fire arrows, allowing the hunt
ing of medium-sized game at short ranges.[2][3][4]
While commercially made slingshots date back to at least 1918, with the introduc
tion of the Zip-Zip, a cast iron model,[5] it was not until the post World War I
I years saw a surge in the popularity, and legitimacy, of slingshots. They were
still primarily a home-built proposition; a 1946 Popular Science article details
a slingshot builder and hunter using home-built slingshots made from forked dog
wood sticks to take small game at ranges of up to 30' with No. 0 lead buckshot (
.32 in., 8 mm diameter).[6]
The Wham-O company, founded in 1948, was named after their first product, the Wh
am-O slingshot. It was made of ash wood and used flat rubber bands. The Wham-O w
as suitable for hunting with a draw weight of up to 45 pounds force (200 newtons
), and was available with an arrow rest.[2][7]
The 1940s also saw the creation of the National Slingshot Association, headquart
ered in San Marino, California, which organised slingshot clubs and competitions
nationwide. Despite the slingshot's reputation as a tool of juvenile delinquent
s, the NSA reported that 80% of slingshot sales were to men over 30 years old, m
any of them professionals. John Milligan, a part-time manufacturer of the alumin
ium-framed John Milligan Special, a hunting slingshot, reported that about a thi
rd of his customers were physicians.[7]
The middle 1950s saw two major innovations in slingshot manufacture, typified by
the Wrist-Rocket Company of Columbus, Nebraska, later renamed Trumark. The Wris
t-Rocket was made from bent steel rods that formed not only the handle and fork,
but also a brace that extended backwards over the wrist, and provided support o
n the forearm to counter the torque of the bands. The Wrist-Rocket also used rub
ber tubing rather than flat bands, which was attached to the backwards-facing fo
rk ends by sliding over the tips of the forks, where it was held by friction.[8]
Slingshots are also occasionally used in angling to disperse bait into the water
over a wide area, so that multiple fish are attracted near the angler's fishing
rod.